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PS4's Share Play limited to one hour increments
When Sony unveiled its upcoming PS4 Share Play feature during its Gamescom 2014 press conference on Tuesday, a few questions remained as to how it would operate. The "virtual couch" feature allows PlayStation Plus members to play any PS4 game of choice with a friend that doesn't own the game over PSN. As Sony explained to GameSpot, Share Play is limited to 60-minute play sessions, though there's no limit on the number of times friends can play the game. Planned to launch this fall as part of system software update 2.0 for the console, Share Play will be an inherent feature for any PS4 game, as "there is no need for developers to do anything for their games to be compatible with Share Play," Sony's Shuhei Yoshida told Famitsu (as translated by Kotaku). However, a Sony representative said that the "visitor" that doesn't own the game technically "takes over the host's account," so a friend that's getting a taste of your gaming library is not able to save their play data to their own account. Rather, save files will stay with the hosting player.
Joystiq Streams: Blindly walking into the madness of Silent Hills [UPDATE: Relive the stream!]
Have you ever had that nightmare where the guy that made Zone of the Enders, the guy that made Hellboy, and that guy who played the younger brother in Boondock Saints end up in a fog-covered town that physically manifests your every trauma and insecurity? Plagued me for years, that one. Never got a wink of sleep. Let's just turn on the old PlayStation 4 here for some relaxing good timesAGGGGGHHHHHHH! The mysterious P.T. shown during Sony's Gamescom '14 press conference, available right now on PlayStation 4, does indeed appear to be a teaser for Silent Hills, a new game in Konami's horror series. It also appears to be the brain child of Hideo Kojima and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and stars none other than Norman Reedus, one of the stars of The Walking Dead. It also frightens some Joystiq staff so much they refuse to play it. Not Richard Mitchell, though! He'll be marching into P.T. blind starting at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, unafraid of the madness that waits within. What's waiting in there? Do Solid Snake and Daryl team up to fight kaiju? Probably not. That'll probably just stay a dream. Joystiq Streams broadcasts live every Tuesday and Thursday at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, but stray streams like this one happen all the time so make sure to follow us on Twitch to know when we're live.
Quick take on Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference
Joystiq's Ludwig Kietzmann and Sinan Kubba reflect on Sony's Gamescom 2014 press event held today in Cologne, Germany. The event featured new game announcements from Rayman creator Michel Ancel (Wild) and Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory (Hellblade) among many other bits of news covered in our recap of the event. Did the PlayStation press conference resonate with you, or were there announcements you wished you heard that weren't part of the event? Share your own reactions in the comments.
PlayStation Gamescom 2014 press conference round-up: Wild, Hellblade
After Microsoft rolled out a whole bunch of announcements earlier today, it was Sony's turn to take the stage for its Gamescom 2014 press conference. We watched the stream, we followed the liveblog and now it's time to recap all of the event's announcements. Head past the break to dive into our round-up.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter to appear on PS4
For someone who supposedly vanished, Ethan Carter seems to be getting around. Already announced for PC, it was revealed at Sony's Gamescom press conference today that The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will also arrive on PS4. The game promises a spooky, first-person mystery inspired by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and other, similar fiction from the early 20th century. Don't worry about keeping the lights on though, as developer The Astronauts describes the atmosphere as not one of terror, but rather of "clammy unease." The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will arrive on PC in "a few weeks," while the PS4 release is slated for next year. Watch Ethan Carter's new Gamescom trailer after the break. [Image: The Astronauts]
Rayman creator goes Wild, announces exclusive open-world PS4 adventure
Rayman creator Michel Ancel has announced Wild, an exclusive open-world title for the PlayStation 4. Wild is the debut title of Wild Sheep Studios, the studio Ancel recently announced to the world. "We wanted to focus on a single platform, and PS4 was clearly the best fit," Ancel said during the announcement, on Sony's stage at the PlayStation press conference. "Our concept is based on experiencing new situations every time you play." Despite forming the new studio, Ubisoft says that Ancel remains a member of its Ubisoft Montpellier team. Someone has to remind them they announced a Beyond Good & Evil sequel from time to time, right?
Housemarque bringing Alienation to PS4
Housemarque, the studio behind Super Stardust HD and Resogun, is bringing yet more frenetic shooting to PlayStation 4. A brief trailer shown during Sony's Gamescom press conference showcased space marines mowing down waves of nasty monsters. Players will be able to tackle the challenge cooperatively and, in an interesting twist, it looks like they can turn against each other competitively as well. Watch the trailer for yourself after the break.
Tearaway Unfolded coming to PlayStation 4
Media Molecule took the stage at Sony's Gamescom press conference to announce Tearaway Unfolded, an upgraded, enhanced version of the Vita's Tearaway slated to hit the PlayStation 4 next year. Developing for the PlayStation 4 allowed Media Molecule to add wholly new gimmicks. One such gimmick featured a player exploring the game world by using the lightbar on his PlayStation 4 as a makeshift flashlight that can only illuminate objects in the game. Another saw a player catch an object thrown by a character in the game, only to shake it up, fling it back and destroy a building in the background. Don't be confused by these new tricks, however. This is not a new game. Instead, Media Molecule claims that Tearaway Unfolded is the "same overall journey as the Vita, only on the big screen." Following the press conference, the PlayStation.blog posted additional information on Tearaway. Almost all of it is contained in the trailer below the break, but keep in mind that the game will run at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second when it makes its PlayStation 4 debut. [Image: Sony]
P.T. teases first-person horror on PSN
An "interactive teaser" for P.T. is now available on PSN, Sony announced during its Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany today. The accompanying video shows some first-person corridor traversing and a few screaming folks with controllers in their hands.
PlayStation Now coming to Europe in 2015, UK gets first beta
European PlayStation fans have been invited to the streaming game revolution, Sony revealed during its Gamescom press conference. PlayStation Now, Sony's streaming game service coming to PlayStation devices and select televisions, is coming to Europe in 2015. UK residents will be invited to the first beta for the service in Europe, Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SCEE, added. A specific date for the beta was not revealed. A beta for PlayStation Now is currently available in the US and Canada on PlayStation 4. Though pricing is currently structured as hour, day or monthly rentals of individual games, Sony has stated a subscription is "definitely in the works." [Image: Sony]
PlayStation TV heads to PAL territories Nov. 14 for €99 [Update: trailer and included games]
PlayStation TV, Sony's little set-top-box that gives players access to Vita games and PS4 remote play, will arrive in PAL territories starting on November 14. The package will retail for €99 and will include 3 downloadable games. The news comes via Sony's Gamescom press conference. Update: According to a new trailer (embedded after the break), the three included games are OlliOlli, Worms Revolution Extreme and Velocity Ultra.
Old box learns new tricks in Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain
The cardboard box has been a Metal Gear mainstay for decades, but in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain the corrugated gadget has picked up a few new tricks. Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima took the stage at Sony's Gamescom press conference to demonstrate a few of the new tactics Snake can employ with the help of his cardboard pal. Not only can Snake use the box to crawl around without attracting attention, he can also maneuver into position, pop out of the box, fire off a few shots, then duck back into cover. Instead of killing foes, pacifist soldiers can opt to use the Fulton device to kidnap them directly from the battlefield like so many hapless goats. If you'd rather avoid enemy soldiers, the box also offers a new suite of distraction tools. Snake can now attach photographs to the sides of the box, including a saluting soldier that will fool enemies into thinking you're one of them, and a picture of a bikini model that will draw lecherous troops in a hurry. Once they're within range, you can leave the box in place as a decoy or use CQC techniques to repay their devotion to a photograph with a series of rapid strikes. For a full demonstration, see the trailer below the break. [Image: Konami]
'Share Play' passes the controller to a friend in this fall's PS4 update [Update]
Sony announced that system software 2.0 will arrive on PS4 this fall. The firmware update will add a new feature known as Share Play, which allows PlayStation Plus members to invite any friend to play their games with them in a cooperative, pass-the-controller fashion. What's more, those that join their friends on Share Play don't need to own or download the game. Update: PlayStation Blog described Share Play as a "virtual couch," allowing users to play cooperatively together in addition to the aforementioned pass-the-controller method. The system update will also add a dedicated YouTube app and the ability to upload gameplay clips to the popular video platform, a feature Sony announced back at E3 in June. The What's New section of the console will also receive an upgrade with friend-of-friend suggestions and a real name search function.
First Destiny expansion launches in December, new Crucible trailer now
Destiny hasn't even hit the shelves yet, and Bungie has already announced a release window for its first expansion. Entitled "The Dark Below," the expansion is set to arrive in December, Bungie's Director of Production Jonty Barnes revealed during Sony's Gamescom press conference. Furthermore, Bungie debuted a trailer for the Crucible, Destiny's competitive multiplayer component. As you would expect, it features free-for-all and team-based modes, in which players fight for territory or kills. Find the trailer after the break.
Invite your friends to Far Cry 4 co-op on PS4, even if they don't own the game
Ubisoft has detailed the Far Cry 4 exclusive for PlayStation users it calls, "The Keys to Kyrat," first revealed at E3 2014. PlayStation users can invite friends to play the game co-operatively even if they don't own the game, allowing their friend to experience the world of Kyrat for ... and here's the new part ... up to two hours. Ubisoft revealed that PlayStation users will net ten codes to the co-op trial mode, with the purchase of Far Cry 4. It's unclear if each code is one use per person or if progress is saved. Can one person use all ten codes to get twenty hours of free Far Cry 4 elephant-enhanced action? Likely not, but we have boots on the ground in Germany to find out. Although the original announcement made mention of a similar feature for PS3 users, Ubisoft's Alex Hutchinson only made mention of the PlayStation 4 version. [Image: Ubisoft]
Hellblade is Ninja Theory's new nightmarish game [Update: Trailer added!]
Ninja Theory revealed its new game, Hellblade, during Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference. The announcement trailer showed a well-detailed woman clutching a sword amidst some shadowy demons. Sony said the game will arrive first on PS4, prior to other consoles. The developer is known for creating Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry. Update: We've added a fresh trailer of Hellblade below.
Protect your brains, DayZ is coming to PlayStation 4
Modder turned developer Dean Hall took the stage at Sony's Gamescom presentation to announce an upcoming PlayStation 4 version of hit zombie survival sandbox DayZ. Details on the new version of the game are scant - Hall failed to mention a release date or even a vague window - but the PlayStation 4 game is based on an "entirely new cross-platform renderer" that will reportedly bring new, enhanced visuals to the undead apocalypse. [Image: Dean Hall]
Hollowpoint from Ruffian revealed for PS4
Crackdown 2 developer Ruffian has revealed its next game, a four-player co-op shooter titled Hollowpoint, coming to the PlayStation 4 in 2015. The game can also be played solo. The announcement trailer for the game reveals players will join a mercenary outfit to perform clandestine operations, though stealth may not be the group's strongest skill as evidenced by the amount of bullets flying. The 2.5D-style shooter is published by Paradox Interactive.
Q-Games announces The Tomorrow Children
Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert announced The Tomorrow Children today during Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference. The game is the result of a collaboration between the PixelJunk studio and SCEE Worldwide Studios. The announcement video of the game showed dwarf-like characters chipping away at walls with picks, then shooting at large glossy creatures with guns.
PlayStation 4 install base tops 10 million
During Sony's Gamescom conference, Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, revealed more than 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been purchased since the device launched last November. That comes as little surprise given that, according to the NPD tally, the PlayStation 4 has been the been the best-selling console in North America for the past six months. [Image: Sony]
